Another Life
by slstmaraudersjple
Summary: "I hope we can be friends again." "We will." They'll be friends forever. Dialogue spoilers for chapters 378 of the Tartaros arc.


Summary: "I hope we can be friends again." "We will." They'll be friends forever. Dialogue spoilers in bold for chapters 378+ of the Tartaros arc.

A/N: A short drabble. I actually thought I wasn't going to make it through this without sobbing because this scene is probably the one absolute scene that destroys me. But I love the spotlight that Hiro Mashima gives to Wendy and Carla. Again, it absolutely destroys me.

**Another Life**

Carla looks at Face for a long while, then says slowly. **"We're not out of options yet."**

At that, Wendy struggles to lift her head. **"What?"**

"**Face is currently absorbing this continent's Eterano. If we could convert that energy into another form, an auto self-destruct magic circle would form and Face would most likely self-destruct."**

"**How do you… where did you learn this?"** Wendy breathes.

"**The future. My powers of prophecy. I predicted a future in which Face doesn't activate. No, rather, I searched for it. Out of the infinite possible futures that exist, I found one in which Face doesn't activate."**

"**Amazing…"** The girl marvels.

The Exceed furrows her eyebrows in thought, trying to remember the vision she sought. **"If I remember correctly… the future me moved this magic circle just like this…"**

"**Carla, you really are something else…"**

"**And input these characters…"** Carla mimics the actions from her vision.

"**With this, we should be…"**

The Exceed suddenly stops, her paw frozen over the button. **"Is this is?"**

At that, the air dragon slayer stops moving. **"What?"**

Carla puts her paw down. **"I can see no future beyond this point. It's all white. Pure white."**

Wendy's eyes widen at the revelation. **"W-what do you mean?"**

"**Don't get me wrong. Face will stop. If I touch this character."**

"**Well then…?"**

"**If I touch it, Face will self-destruct. In other words, we will be beyond saving."**

_2 minutes and 3 seconds left._

Wendy freezes, her eyes widening as she realizes what is going to happen.

_Beyond saving…_

"**I've been thinking… even without magic, we can still live on. Like in Edolas…" **Carla starts, but she and Wendy know that they are out of options. They cannot afford for Tartaros to win.

Their comrades. Their nakama. Their precious people. **"No. Everyone… if their magic were to suddenly become unusable in the middle of their fight…"**

"**I guess you're right."** Carla smiles at how fiercely protective Wendy is of their guild, and realizes that she feels the same way towards the little girl she has grown so hopelessly fond of. **"Wendy, I can't predict or even estimate the range of the blast… so get as far away from here as you can. I'll take care of things from here on out."**

"**What are you saying, Carla?! I could never do that!"** Wendy screams.

"**Please, for my sake, Wendy… live on."** Carla pleads.

The air dragon slayer's sobbing. **"No! I won't leave you behind!"**

Carla turns back to Face. **"Leave! Quickly! I can't activate it if you're still here!"**

"**I refuse! We're meant to always be together!"** Wendy cries out.

_1 minute and 40 seconds left._

"**Always…"** She repeats herself, one arm supporting her head as she looks up at her friend, and Carla is overwhelmed by the fierce sincerity in those eyes. **"Wendy…"**

Said girl struggles to crawl over to the Exceed with the last of her strength. **"I don't have any energy left to fly anyway… I can't run away. I know… I can hardly move myself… there's no way to put any distance between me and that thing."** She reaches Carla and throws her arms around the Exceed. **"I'm not going anywhere."**

_Because you're more than just a partner._

Carla is stunned speechless.

"**I guess our adventure ends here, huh."** Wendy comments, laughing, **"I had a blast. Because I was with you, Carla, the whole time."**

_You're my best friend._

She can't stop the tears. **"Yeah…"**

_Best friends forever._

"**All that's left is to just push this."**

"**Yes."**

"**Let's do it together."** Wendy smiles at the Exceed, prompting the Exceed to respond, **"Since we've done everything else together."**

From the moment Carla first hatched from her egg, and the first thing she saw was the small human.

The memories flash through their minds, but none matters so much as the memory right before their eyes.

"**I hope we can be friends again."** Wendy says, her voice trembling, her lips a wobbly smile as tears stream down her face.

"**We will."** Carla responds, her face an echo of her partner's.

They share a smile through their tears and press the button together.

The last thing they remember is a white light and a loud rumbling, and the last thoughts on their mind are that they have succeeded in saving their friends.

Their friends will live on.

_But they'll be friends forever._

* * *

_**Fin.**_


End file.
